


before your neurons declare a crisis

by minkhollow



Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-03
Updated: 2013-11-03
Packaged: 2017-12-31 08:26:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1029507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minkhollow/pseuds/minkhollow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The only good thing about the vibe is that it hits when Jane’s students are in PE, with another teacher.</p>
            </blockquote>





	before your neurons declare a crisis

**Author's Note:**

> This story's been niggling at my mind for a couple months now, and finally decided it wanted writing.  
> I am not Syfy; I'm just borrowing.

The only good thing about the vibe is that it hits when Jane’s students are in PE, with another teacher. She doesn’t have to explain it to them.

It hits her like a truck, so hard she’s almost physically sick; when she can move without feeling ill again, she heads for the teachers’ lounge, picks up the phone, and dials the fire station’s non-emergency line.

“Engine 3, this is Bill.”

“Hi, Bill.” Jane’s voice is shaky, but it’s audible; she’ll take that, considering.

“Honey? What’s wrong? Do you need me to come home?”

“No, no, I – I’m still at school.” She does need him to come home, but she knows her husband. Whatever’s going to happen that was bad enough to bring this vibe on, he’ll just leave the house later. He can’t ignore his calling. “I just wanted to say hi, and I love you.”

“I love you too.” Bill sounds confused, but he doesn’t press the matter. It’s been a long time since he asked her to explain what was going on behind a vibe, and she’s sure he can guess she had one – but it’s been just as long since he wanted to know what was coming.

(They were both hoping the kids had avoided inheriting them, but now that Jane thinks of it, this would explain the panicked look on Pete’s face this morning.)

“Thanks. I... be careful tonight?” she says, even though she’s pretty sure it’s futile.

“I always am.”

The bell rings in the hall, and Jane sighs. That wasn’t nearly long enough for the last conversation she’s likely to have with her husband. “I know. I gotta go.”

“‘Bye. Give Pete a hug for me.”

“I will.” Jane hangs up the phone, wills herself out of the chair, and heads for the gym to collect her students.

Somehow, she gets through the rest of the day. If her students notice anything wrong, they don’t mention it, and she has lunch in her room to avoid having to talk about it with the other teachers. She almost stops by the station on her way home, but decides that would only make matters worse. Jeannie helps her cook dinner, and Pete pays even less attention to his homework than usual.

She should talk to him about that, see if the same thing that’s bothering her is eating at him, but talking about it will make it real. Jane doubts either of them is ready for that, never mind that they’ll have to be.

She can’t sleep, and she can’t concentrate on anything else; after she’s read the same paragraph five times because she keeps glancing at the phone, she gives up.

The phone finally rings well after midnight. There was a bad house fire a few blocks from the Hoover plant. Bill went in to get a couple kids out of the house. He didn’t come out. Jane thanks the fire chief for letting her know, accepts his condolences, and hangs up.

“Mom?”

She turns around; Pete’s standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking like he hasn’t slept all night, either. “Who was that? What happened?”

“That was the station,” she says, and Pete’s face falls before she goes on. “Dad’s... not coming home.”

Pete sits down on the stairs, and the dam that’s been holding Jane’s tears back all afternoon finally gives way.


End file.
